Gran Turismo Review - A Marathon Race Film For Video Game Lovers

Gran Turismo Review: Neill Blomkamp's biographical sports drama, "Gran Turismo," stars Archie Madekwe, David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Darren Barnet, Emelia Hartford, Geri Halliwell Horner, and Djimon Hounsou. Based on the life of Jann Mardenborough, the film promises to be a fact-based story but has taken enough fictional liberty for its cinematic appeal. The idea of a racing gamer becoming a professional race car driver is fascinating enough to pique anybody's interest, but making a film is not anybody's business. We have been through "Ford vs. Ferrari" and "Rush"—two of the most popular films of recent or arguably all-time—to understand almost all the classy techniques of the mainstream entertainer. Gran Turismo doesn't try to be like them, which actually works in its favour. But at the same time, it causes a low-grade cinematic experience because the film never looks like a big-screen spectacle. FvF has some extraordinary racing sequences that make you feel all the thrill, but GT is more like a gaming experience without far from the graphic appeal of cinematic spectacle. Also, racing films should be about speed, and this film doesn't have it in the first half. The second half covers the loss, but it's too far behind in laps by then. Despite these major flaws, Gran Tourismo wins the race with its inspiring and motivational storyline.The film kicks off with Danny (Orlando Bloom), a marketing expert and creator of the SIM video game, giving a presentation speech about how he wants to make the video game lovers professional race car drivers. Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe) loves SIM video games and is eager to make a career as a race car driver. He is randomly chosen to participate in a race that qualifies him for the professional training of race car drivers. Jack Salter (David Harbour) is Jann's trainer and sees great potential in him. During a big race, Jann has an accident and wants to quit racing. Jack encourages him to make a comeback as he believes Jann can be the best in the world, and there begins the inspirational journey of Jann Mardenborough. The rest of the film is packed with races, including the 24 Hours of "Le Mans."Gran Tourismo could have been crisper than what it is since this theme is very exciting. Racing is a breathtaking thing and deserves to be presented in such a manner that viewers can enjoy the superfast ride without any disturbance. GT's screenplay drags too much in the first hour, letting your eyes go sleepy and your body go yawning halfway through. Some action begins in the second half, and you are into the film again. Some of the racing sequences are portrayed with gaming effects, trajectory paths, and all, just to give you a better viewing experience. It looks good sometimes, but not all the time. The storyline of Gran Turismo is like fan service. If you love racing simulation gaming, then you are going to have a good time. That's what the problem is, I guess. More than a racing film, it's fan service. That's why it isn't as great as Ford vs. Ferrari.We have seen Jann Mardenborough many times, and believe me, Archie Madekwe has no similarities at all to portray him on screen. From the first scene, it's a negative bell. He has performed well, though. It's just that his appearance and personality don't match Mardenborough's. Orlando Bloom walks away with ordinary scenes and ordinary acting. The role had something in it, but it didn't spark enough. David Harbour reminded me of Matt Damon from FvF, and believe me, it's no easy task to match Damon. You just can't match Damon at his peak. Harbour doesn't either, but he leaves a strong mark of his own, even though the character remains underwhelming. Jann's parents, Djimon Hounsou and Geri Halliwell, were decent, while his chemistry with Maeve Courtier-Lilley just didn't work. The love story didn't fit anywhere in the narrative, yet it took almost 15 minutes of your watch time. The support of Darren Barnet, Josha Stradowsk, and others could be termed okay, as all they had to do was fill the screen without glitches.Gran Turismo has many racing scenes, but does even one stay in your memory? Hardly so. There was scope. Unfortunately, it's overlooked. Jacques Jouffret's camera gives you some pacy frames, but I don't understand why they had to give those half-cut pauses in the middle of the racy sequence. For flags and numbers, seriously? A few scenes have the racing track transformed into SIM gaming and vice versa; I think you'll enjoy that. Talking about the editing, GT seriously needed to be trimmed by at least half an hour. Neill Blomkamp's direction lacks novelty factors as the storytelling is too basic for 2023's standards. He kept fans in mind and forgot others, but thankfully, it's a critic-proof film since Mardenborough is a popular name and the gaming fraternity is too large. They will have something to cherish here, for sure. I just wish Neill had kept the whole film in top gear instead of just the last half hour, and it would have been a rush-filled race.